FOR the second successive year, the Western Region Football League is set to welcome a new club. After nearly two years of discussions with WRFL staff, AFL Victoria and Wyndham City Council the Tarneit Football Club looks set to join the competition next season.
It joins Sanctuary Lakes and Manor Lakes which entered the league last year.
However, WRFL CEO Bob Tregear has moved quickly to ensure another new team in the league will not affect the playing stocks at current clubs.
“We know that some of our existing clubs will be concerned for the possible impact on their player numbers, but the enormous growth in the local area population seen in the last couple of years shows no signs of stopping, so we’re confident that any impact will be minimal,” he said.
“It’s unlikely that Tarneit will have more than two or three younger-age junior teams in its first couple of years, unlike Manor Lakes and Sanctuary Lakes who fielded fourteen teams between them in their start-up this year.”
The WRFL board is developing new by-laws to limit the number of players transferring between member clubs in any year to minimise impacts on existing clubs.
Tarneit’s interim secretary Luke Gatti has already made a formal application to the WRFL for the new club to be admitted to WRFL membership.
A special general meeting of all WRFL club delegates has been called for Wednesday August 21 to consider the club’s application.
Gatti, who is general manager of Collingwood’s VFL team, says his group is excited about the challenge of growing football at both junior and senior levels in the Tarneit local community.
“With Auskick already running at Wootten Road Reserve and a long list of prospective senior players already registering interest, we’re confident of getting both senior and junior teams off the ground in our first year,” he said.
“We’ve had terrific support from Wyndham Council, Tim Shellcot at the WRFL and Darryl Collings from AFL Victoria in getting to this stage and we’re really keen to get moving in time for the start of the 2014 football season.”
Assuming successful admission to the WRFL on August 21, the new club may seek to engage the Tarneit community in the choice of club colours, mascots and theme song. Anyone wishing to be involved either on-field or off-field with Tarneit Football Club should contact the WRFL office for referral to club officials.
